Antek Zaremski

Jewellery

The exhibition presents works of the representative of the third generation of Zaremskis family – the co-founders of the Polish school of silver. He wants to detach from his family traditions. His own independence is constantly shown in the form of a rebellion or provocation, sometimes by entering a different realm of painting solution. Antek Zaremski’s bijoux are difficult to classify. This is especially true with the series he has been focusing on for the last couple of years, which consists of wire compositions defined as earrings, rings, brooches or pendants. However, their usable and decorative functions as jewellery remain symbolic, despite the author’s belief that this is their purpose.

[…] Some of the compositions of the series, placed in frames and displayed on a white background, are almost similar to the graphics, especially when viewed from a distance, becoming objects of the border. [...] Their graphic style is largely due to the almost linear nature of the wire, which has a certain thickness, allowing it to give the work real spatiality and to function independently of the plane, to which a graphic design is inextricably linked.

[...] An important feature of all the works of this series is the clean and apparent geometrism, clear in the contours of squares, circles, and especially in strongly elongated rectangles with internal divisions that complement the semicircular elements made from a flat plate, often full orbs or pieces of tubes. These elongated rectangles, which, in theory, are earrings, pendants, and maybe also rings, are vertical compositions, whereas brooches, being in their opposition, are horizontal. [...] This large set of items is only one trend of jewellery forms implemented by Antek Zaremski. Moreover, his search has headed in different directions, of which there have been many over the past few years. Beginning with the first copper rings, which referred almost to archaeological sites, through sets of brooches rich in colour in the shapes of fruits or floral arrangements, to recent artistic presentations of landscapes in the form of posters. In the meantime, there were also elegant wedding rings which were described in an issue of ‘Art and Business’.

[...] Finally, the last period has brought other changes. Next to jewellery items there have appeared typically graphic and painted works. [...] Apart from the organised, almost line codes, there were also other compositions belonging to the pure sphere of painting with its style and mood. Fashioned with fine touches of the brush, they create a mosaic of live, warm colours and overlapping marks created by a spontaneous gesture that gives freshness to the works.